NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — For the first time, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recommended Monday vaccinated people wear a mask in crowded indoor settings, but he stopped short of making the new CDC masking guidance mandatory in the city.
“We want to strongly recommend that people wear a mask in indoor settings even if you’re vaccinated,” de Blasio said. “This is particularly true of course if you might be around anyone unvaccinated.”
The mayor’s focus remains on vaccines, and he announced a $1.3 million ad campaign to encourage parents to get their eligible school-age children, 12-17, vaccinated now so they’re fully protected by the time school starts Sept. 13.
“Vaccination, vaccination, vaccination, that’s the ballgame,” de Blasio said.
The recommendations come despite the fact that COVID cases have ticked up slightly in the city, to an average positivity rate of roughly 2.29 percent. Hospitalizations remain low.
On Friday, the mayor told CNN he wants the focus to remain on increasing vaccinations. Now, city run sites are offering a $100 incentive for people to get their first shot.
“The main event is vaccination,” de Blasio said. “Masks can be helpful. We’re going to delineate to New Yorkers the best way to use masks. They don’t change the basic reality. Vaccination does. So, what we want to make sure is that everything we do supports vaccination, focuses people on vaccination, doesn’t distract from vaccination, or undermine vaccination.”
The new recommendation comes after the CDC said the delta variant can spread even among vaccinated people, though among the small percentage of cases, symptoms tended to be mild. Almost all hospitalizations and deaths continue to be among the unvaccinated.
In July, Los Angeles imposed a new indoor mask mandate even for vaccinated people. New York City’s decision not to follow LA’s move puts the nation’s largest city in line with tri-state area governors.
New York, New Jersey and Connecticut all continue to encourage mask usage, but do not require it.
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NEW YORK (WABC) — Vaccine eligibility and availability are expanding in a huge way across New York – for all residents over 30 years of age, and also for New York City seniors over 75.
Starting Tuesday, anyone 30 or older in New York can sign up to get a coronavirus vaccine. Those residents will require an appointment.
And in New York City, Citi Field, the Brooklyn Army Terminal and the Bathgate Postal Station have dropped appointment requirements for all residents 75 and older who can now walk up without an appointment and get inoculated.
They can even bring an escort who can also get a shot.
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New York City officials say the change removes a major barrier for the older population who were having trouble scheduling an appointment online.
“We want to make sure, even as more and more people get qualified, that the folks who are still in the greatest danger still get priority,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “So we’re testing to see if a walk-up site, where they’re the only ones who can walk up, might make it easier for some people, might incentivize some older seniors to come over and get vaccinated.”
The eligibility expansion continues next week, with anyone 16 and older able to book an appointment beginning April 6.
Still, the vaccine progress comes as COVID cases are on the rise in our area, with New Jersey and New York ranked 1 and 2 in new positive cases per 100,000 residents.
CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky says rising numbers nationwide have given her a sense of quote “impending doom,” and she is urging everyone to continue to follow health guidelines until the surge is under control.
“I’m going to lose the script, and I’m going to reflect on the recurring feeling I have of impending doom,” she said. “I’m asking you to just hold on a little longer to get vaccinated when you can, so that all of those people that we all love was still be here when this pandemic ends.”
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New York City COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Find out if you are eligible and where you can go to get your vaccine Do you have coronavirus symptoms? Where to get tested in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut WATCH: Eyewitness to a Pandemic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on coronavirus
NEW YORK (WABC) — Johnson & Johnson says it plans to have enough vaccines for 100 million Americans by April.
Right now, the vaccine is undergoing a large scale trial to make sure it’s safe and effective.
Doctor Anthony Fauci says Johnson & Johnson is close to seeking an emergency use authorization from the FDA.
This vaccine only requires one shot and does not need to be stored at as cold of temperatures as others.
What to know about coronavirus: Tracking COVID-19 availability and progress in NYC New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Find out if you are eligible and where you can go to get your vaccine Coronavirus by zip code – New York City Do you have coronavirus symptoms?
Here are more of today’s headlines:
Former Mets skipper Davey Johnson hospitalized with COVID Former New York Mets manager Davey Johnson has been hospitalized in Florida with COVID, according to Mets PR. The former manager led the Amazins to their last World Series title in 1986.
Thinking of Davey Johnson who is in a Florida hospital bed battling Covid. His leadership, determination and spirit led the @Mets to the 1986 championship. No one will battle Covid like him. We are pulling for you, Davey.
— Jay Horwitz (@Jay_HorwitzPR) January 22, 2021
High-risk sports could resume in NY in February High-risk sports can restart in New York State on Feb. 1 if local health departments approve. This includes basketball, wrestling, hockey, volleyball, football and lacrosse. However, whether or not they resume will rely on factors such as if there have been more cases of the more transmissible COVID variant, the local rates of COVID positivity and the ability to monitor and enforce compliance. Nassau County Executive Laura Curran says that schools can resume sports in the county.
2 more vaccine mega sites open in NJ All six of the New Jersey’s COVID-19 vaccine mega sites are now open, with residents lining up Friday at two new locations in East Rutherford and Atlantic City. This as the state announced they have successfully vaccinated 500,222 residents in a little more than a month. Sites at the Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment Complex and Atlantic City Convention Center were both fully booked, but more appointment times are expected to be added based on availability.
UK chief scientist says new COVID-19 variant may be more deadly, more research needed There is some evidence that a new coronavirus variant first identified in southeast England carries a higher risk of death than the original strain, the British government’s chief scientific adviser said Friday — though he stressed that the data is uncertain. Patrick Vallance told a news conference that “there is evidence that there is an increased risk for those who have the new variant.” He said that for a man in his 60s with the original version of the virus, “the average risk is that for 1,000 people who got infected, roughly 10 would be expected to unfortunately die.”
“With the new variant, for 1,000 people infected, roughly 13 or 14 people might be expected to die,” he said.
Researchers developing face mask sticker that can detect COVID-19 in droplets Researchers at UC San Diego’s School of Engineering are working on a potential game changer in the fight against COVID-19. Researchers are looking into a new type of test that could detect the virus on your face mask. The test can be worn as a sticker on your mask. The sticker includes a little dye and works just like an at-home pregnancy test. As someone wears the sticker on the mask throughout the day, it collects droplets. After a few hours, it can detect COVID-19 molecules from your breath.
Dave Chappelle tests positive for COVID-19 Dave Chappelle tested positive for the coronavirus just before his comedy show scheduled for Thursday, forcing his upcoming appearances to be canceled, a spokeswoman said. Chappelle was expected to perform Thursday through Sunday at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin, Texas. Those shows have been canceled and Chappelle is quarantining, his representative Carla Sims said in a statement. The comedian is asymptomatic. Chappelle had been performing socially-distanced shows in Ohio since June, and moved his shows to Austin during the winter, Sims said. Rapid testing for the audience and daily tests for Chappelle and his team were implemented.
NJ vaccinates 500,000 The state of New Jersey has vaccinated 500,222 residents in a little more than a month, Governor Phil Murphy announced on Friday. He also added that two COVID patients in the state were found to have the more aggressive strain first found in the UK.
NY hospitalization rate of increase is slowing The rate of increase of patients being admitted to New York hospitals for treatment for COVID-19 is slowing, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday. Cuomo called it “good news,” but cautioned that the more contagious variants discovered in other parts of the world remain a threat and could cause cases to spike again. COVID hospitalizations stood at 8,846, down from 9,055 the day before and has now dropped by more than 400 over the past two days.
Today’s update on the numbers:
Total COVID hospitalizations are at 8,846.
Of the 268,001 tests reported yesterday, 15,144 were positive (5.65% of total).
Sadly, there were 165 fatalities. pic.twitter.com/0ewehBN9XM
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 22, 2021
NYC and state could run out of vaccines Friday 93% of the state’s vaccine supply now exhausted, both the city and the state are on pace to run out of vaccines. There are 300,000 shots waiting in storage for second doses. The city is now considering giving them as first doses for those still waiting and backfilling the supply and delaying by a few weeks the second shot for those who already gotten the first.
Top 7 COVID vaccine questions answered You had questions about COVID-19 vaccines and 7 On Your Side is getting you answers from doctors on the front line of the pandemic.
MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE
Positive COVID-19 cases by zip code – New York City
New York City COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Find out if you are eligible and where you can go to get your vaccine Do you have coronavirus symptoms? Where to get tested in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut WATCH: Eyewitness to a Pandemic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on coronavirus
NEW YORK (WABC) — Johnson & Johnson says it plans to have enough vaccines for 100 million Americans by April.
Right now, the vaccine is undergoing a large scale trial to make sure it’s safe and effective.
Doctor Anthony Fauci says Johnson & Johnson is close to seeking an emergency use authorization from the FDA.
This vaccine only requires one shot and does not need to be stored at as cold of temperatures as others.
What to know about coronavirus: Tracking COVID-19 availability and progress in NYC New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Find out if you are eligible and where you can go to get your vaccine Coronavirus by zip code – New York City Do you have coronavirus symptoms?
Here are more of today’s headlines:
Former Mets skipper Davey Johnson hospitalized with COVID Former New York Mets manager Davey Johnson has been hospitalized in Florida with COVID, according to Mets PR. The former manager led the Amazins to their last World Series title in 1986.
Thinking of Davey Johnson who is in a Florida hospital bed battling Covid. His leadership, determination and spirit led the @Mets to the 1986 championship. No one will battle Covid like him. We are pulling for you, Davey.
— Jay Horwitz (@Jay_HorwitzPR) January 22, 2021
High-risk sports could resume in NY in February High-risk sports can restart in New York State on Feb. 1 if local health departments approve. This includes basketball, wrestling, hockey, volleyball, football and lacrosse. However, whether or not they resume will rely on factors such as if there have been more cases of the more transmissible COVID variant, the local rates of COVID positivity and the ability to monitor and enforce compliance. Nassau County Executive Laura Curran says that schools can resume sports in the county.
2 more vaccine mega sites open in NJ All six of the New Jersey’s COVID-19 vaccine mega sites are now open, with residents lining up Friday at two new locations in East Rutherford and Atlantic City. This as the state announced they have successfully vaccinated 500,222 residents in a little more than a month. Sites at the Meadowlands Racing and Entertainment Complex and Atlantic City Convention Center were both fully booked, but more appointment times are expected to be added based on availability.
UK chief scientist says new COVID-19 variant may be more deadly, more research needed There is some evidence that a new coronavirus variant first identified in southeast England carries a higher risk of death than the original strain, the British government’s chief scientific adviser said Friday — though he stressed that the data is uncertain. Patrick Vallance told a news conference that “there is evidence that there is an increased risk for those who have the new variant.” He said that for a man in his 60s with the original version of the virus, “the average risk is that for 1,000 people who got infected, roughly 10 would be expected to unfortunately die.”
“With the new variant, for 1,000 people infected, roughly 13 or 14 people might be expected to die,” he said.
Researchers developing face mask sticker that can detect COVID-19 in droplets Researchers at UC San Diego’s School of Engineering are working on a potential game changer in the fight against COVID-19. Researchers are looking into a new type of test that could detect the virus on your face mask. The test can be worn as a sticker on your mask. The sticker includes a little dye and works just like an at-home pregnancy test. As someone wears the sticker on the mask throughout the day, it collects droplets. After a few hours, it can detect COVID-19 molecules from your breath.
Dave Chappelle tests positive for COVID-19 Dave Chappelle tested positive for the coronavirus just before his comedy show scheduled for Thursday, forcing his upcoming appearances to be canceled, a spokeswoman said. Chappelle was expected to perform Thursday through Sunday at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin, Texas. Those shows have been canceled and Chappelle is quarantining, his representative Carla Sims said in a statement. The comedian is asymptomatic. Chappelle had been performing socially-distanced shows in Ohio since June, and moved his shows to Austin during the winter, Sims said. Rapid testing for the audience and daily tests for Chappelle and his team were implemented.
NJ vaccinates 500,000 The state of New Jersey has vaccinated 500,222 residents in a little more than a month, Governor Phil Murphy announced on Friday. He also added that two COVID patients in the state were found to have the more aggressive strain first found in the UK.
NY hospitalization rate of increase is slowing The rate of increase of patients being admitted to New York hospitals for treatment for COVID-19 is slowing, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday. Cuomo called it “good news,” but cautioned that the more contagious variants discovered in other parts of the world remain a threat and could cause cases to spike again. COVID hospitalizations stood at 8,846, down from 9,055 the day before and has now dropped by more than 400 over the past two days.
Today’s update on the numbers:
Total COVID hospitalizations are at 8,846.
Of the 268,001 tests reported yesterday, 15,144 were positive (5.65% of total).
Sadly, there were 165 fatalities. pic.twitter.com/0ewehBN9XM
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 22, 2021
NYC and state could run out of vaccines Friday 93% of the state’s vaccine supply now exhausted, both the city and the state are on pace to run out of vaccines. There are 300,000 shots waiting in storage for second doses. The city is now considering giving them as first doses for those still waiting and backfilling the supply and delaying by a few weeks the second shot for those who already gotten the first.
Top 7 COVID vaccine questions answered You had questions about COVID-19 vaccines and 7 On Your Side is getting you answers from doctors on the front line of the pandemic.
MORE CORONAVIRUS COVID-19 COVERAGE
Positive COVID-19 cases by zip code – New York City
New York City COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker New Jersey COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Find out if you are eligible and where you can go to get your vaccine Do you have coronavirus symptoms? Where to get tested in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut WATCH: Eyewitness to a Pandemic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on coronavirus